Mediaset, an Italian commercial powerhouse in broadcasting has struck a deal to bag TV rights for the premier cup competition in Italy. The deal in contention is believed to be for three seasons, for an amount of 144.6 Million Euros.
This particular deal struck by Mediaset also includes screening the finals of the SuperCoppa Italiana, a single fixture competition played between the winners of Serie A and Coppa Italia. Earlier, Mediaset had also won the exclusive rights to broadcast UEFA Champions League matches in Italy for the next 3 seasons.
Amidst the pandemic, Italy’s first division football league Seria A has suffered massive losses and this deal seems a breath of fresh air for them to cover part of their losses. A few weeks ago, the league officials had made public their intention to sell domestic rights of the club competition to generate more revenue. According to sources, Mediaset has declined to comment on the deal, but an agreement is believed to be imminent.
This deal worth 144.6 Million Euros is a big upgrade on the last agreement signed by Seria A for their cup competition in 2018. The state broadcaster, RAI, had signed an agreement worth 105.6 Million Euros for three seasons.
Earlier, Pier Silvio Berlusconi, Mediaset Chief Executive addressed the media and said, “Existing deals the company had struck in Italy on live soccer matches for the next three seasons, including an accord to handle sport streaming service DAZN’s advertising business connected with Serie A, would generate over 100 million euros in yearly advertising revenue.”
Seria A is one of the top 5 leagues in football desperately needs these additional funds to compete with the other leagues. Especially, Premier League in England and La Liga in Spain are comfortably ahead of the Italian league in terms of broadcasting and revenue generated. This deal when announced might be a good financial start to their battle for supremacy.